About the only thing missing for Cleveland was center Zydrunas Ilgauskas. He didn't play and remains tied with Cavs general manager Danny Ferry (723) for the most games played in team history.

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle was upset with his team's effort coming off impressive road wins.

"I love the way we played in Houston and Indiana, but this was a stinker," Carlisle said. "We needed to be better defensively, simple as that."

Notes

James had eight assists in the first quarter and 11 by halftime. ... James or Kobe Bryant? Carlisle wouldn't want to make the choice. "I might flip a coin," he said. "They're both great. Right now in this league they're the best of the best. They both not only are great players, they both have great charisma and they both represent out league extremely well. I'd gladly take a blindfold and pick a name and I'd be happy." ... Dallas has lost four straight to Cleveland. ... Dallas' 24 rebounds matched a franchise low.